Lafayette targets underground fraternities with new policy

Nine months after freshman Everett Glenn died of alcohol poisoning following a day of partying at Lafayette College, the school's board of trustees aimed a new policy at so-called unrecognized groups, such as rogue fraternities, that ply students with alcohol.

The policy bars students from associating with rogue Greek organizations — or any other group — operating on campus without college approval. It bans such groups from advertising events on campus.

Glenn, 19, of New Jersey, died May 5 in his campus dorm room. A popular student and member of the fencing team, Glenn was at several parties that day, the school's All-College Day, a campuswide celebration of the end of the academic year.

At least one of those parties was hosted by an rogue fraternity, Lafayette President Dan Weiss told The Morning Call Wednesday.

"We know Everett was involved in recruiting events that were being organized by students from a fraternity that lost its recognition," Weiss said.

He said that unrecognized group was Kappa Delta Rho, or KDR. The national fraternity, which pulled its chapter from Lafayette in 2011, denied any links to a rogue group in Easton in response to Weiss' allegation.

Weiss also said a number of students were disciplined in the wake of Glenn's death — the punishments ranged from academic probation to suspension. Weiss said the new policy would entail the same sort of discipline, including expulsion in extreme cases.

Joseph Rosenberg, executive director of the national KDR organization, said he has asked Weiss to show him proof that a group using the fraternity's name was operating on campus. He also asked for a list of the students allegedly involved in the rogue chapter at Lafayette to bounce off a national database of former and current members.

"No one there has any association with our fraternity," Rosenberg said, adding that the fraternity's lawyers sent Weiss a letter asking him to stop associating KDR with Glenn's death.

Rosenberg also said he supports Lafayette's policy to bar unrecognized organizations. He said no unrecognized group should be using his fraternity's name.

"They are using our trademarks in an illegal manner," Rosenberg said. "We would take action in collaboration with the school."

Easton police Lt. Matthew Gerould said the department's investigation of Glenn's death led to evidence that Glenn had been provided alcohol by individuals that were "formerly of on-campus fraternities that were not on campus anymore."

Gerould also said there were a lot of parties that day and Glenn attended several of them, both on and off campus.

The school has about 2,400 students, almost all of whom live on campus in dorms, or in college-owned houses. School officials said about 90 students live off campus in housing not affiliated with the college.

Weiss said the new policy stems from the events surrounding Glenn's death, and adds to changes in alcohol policies made for homecoming and the Lehigh-Lafayette football games. He said the college has tried to combat high-risk drinking with sensible reforms.

The policy forbids students from using college resources to aid or promote underground organizations. Weiss said that includes college real estate, email, computers and other property. But Weiss isn't looking to turn Lafayette into a police state for what he believes are two or three rogue groups.

"We do not plan to track people down," he said.

Former board member William Rappolt said enforcement will be an issue. Rappolt wondered how deep the school will delve to root out underground groups. He added that he hopes the college lifts its freeze on adding new fraternities and sororities in light of the knowledge that students want to join Greek organizations and may want more choices than the four fraternities and six sororities currently recognized.

Rappolt, who was in a fraternity at Lafayette, noted that the same trustees' report that announced the new policy also mentioned that the board was pleased to see that students in Greek organizations perform academically on par, or better, than nonaffiliated students by the end of their junior year.

Weiss said the unrecognized groups do not fall under the same oversight from the college and national organizations, which may endanger students.

"There is a clear difference," Weiss said of the recognized organizations and the rogues. "These other organizations have a bunch of guys, or women, doing whatever they want."